Invented in 1959, the integrated circuit (“IC”) is one of the workhorses behind many of the technological devices enjoyed throughout the world. In general, the concept behind the IC is one of miniaturization and reliability. The result of integration allows thousands of circuit components to be included on a single piece of semiconductor. In general, the complexity of ICs has grown exponentially since their creation more than four decades ago. In fact, engineers continue to make advancements that approximately double the number of components included in each IC every 18-24 months.
While these developments have fostered the electronic industry and allowed for smaller and faster devices, the miniaturization process and overall complexity of system design have at least one disadvantage over less complex systems of the past: power management. As systems incorporate multiple ICs each having multiple components, process corners, voltage corners and temperature corners can vary. Accordingly, prior art systems guarantee performance for systems incorporating at least one low corner IC by establishing a fixed, over-compensated power supply voltage for the system. By doing so, active and passive power dissipation is increased.
Mobile devices in particular are particularly hurt by these architectures. Because mobile devices, by definition, run on a limited amount of power, battery life and consumption are important concerns. While increased power supply voltage provides better overall performance, it also provides increased levels of active and standby power dissipation thus draining battery life. Accordingly, mobile devices are unable to sustain themselves over long periods of time without battery replacement or changed circumstances (e.g., recharging). Although battery life, per se, is not a concern for stationary/non-mobile systems, these devices would similarly benefit from operating conditions using an optimal power supply voltage to decrease active and standby power dissipation. For instance, such systems could provide more functionality by incorporating more features while using minimal power consumption.
Accordingly, a need exists for the generation of a power supply voltage optimized for a given frequency, thereby providing minimal active and standby power dissipation in a system comprising at least one IC.